Jellyfish aquarium

ABSTRACT

An aquarium is disclosed that includes a plurality of exterior walls that define a tank, a cylindrical wall within the tank that defines a cylindrical viewing area, a first upright interior wall adjacent the cylindrical wall that defines a water inlet chamber between the cylindrical wall and the one of said exterior walls, a spillover riser in the water inlet chamber, and a water inlet in communication with one side of the spillover barrier.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to aquariums, typically of a size thatwould be used in a residence or business rather than a commercialaquarium, and that are intended to provide an appropriate environment,potentially including salt water, in which small jellyfish and similarorganisms can survive for extended periods.

The growth in the number and sophistication of municipal and stateaquariums is at least one factor in the increased interest in smallersaltwater aquariums; e.g. for personal or business use rather than aspublic facilities. In turn, jellyfish represent a species that hasgained interest because of their motion, appearance, and somewhat exoticnature.

Jellyfish are, however, delicate creatures of which only a very smallamount (typically about 5%) is solid organic matter. Jellyfish aretechnically a form of plankton, are invertebrates, and lack any brain orspecialized systems of digestion or circulation. Jellyfish have alimited nervous system that reacts to selected external stimuli.

Jellyfish depend entirely on factors other than themselves forhorizontal movement; e.g., in nature winds, tides, and currents. Mostjellyfish are, however, capable of some form of vertical motion and canorient themselves based upon their perception of light.

In an aquarium environment jellyfish cannot generally be maintained in arectangular tank because they are likely to become stuck in, or injurethemselves at, corners or similar spaces. Accordingly, a jellyfishaquarium (sometimes referred to as a kreisel tank) whether large orsmall typically has curved or circular geometry, and is designed toreplicate (or at least appropriately mimic) ocean currents or similarmovement that keep jellyfish suspended in water while maintaining theirequilibrium and natural shape.

In such an aquarium, the water must move sufficiently to keep thejellyfish suspended and gently moving, but less than would injure thejellyfish or force them against the walls too aggressively. Furthermore,any pumps or other mechanical means for moving the water must avoidinjuring or capturing the jellyfish. Because of their extremely low massand fragile structure, jellyfish are easily drawn towards such outletswhere they can become injured or die. Additionally, many jellyfishcannot tolerate air bubbles and thus any water-air mixtures or mixingdevices (e.g., airstones) should be segregated from the jellyfish.

From a filtration standpoint, a jellyfish aquarium must provide both thedesired saltwater environment and means for removing waste materialsproduced by the jellyfish or that are byproducts of the other aquariumfunctions. In most aquariums, such materials will include ammonia andsimilar compounds produced from the ongoing biological processes. Thesecompositions will at some point become disadvantageous or hazardous tothe jellyfish. A typical jellyfish aquarium should also have a surfaceskimming capability and a filtration capability. Some (but not all)jellyfish need to be maintained at or near colder ocean temperatures. Insuch cases, water temperature should also be maintained at or near55-65° F. in order to mimic the ocean environment. For such jellyfish,an aquarium typically includes a cooling system of some type(refrigeration unit; chiller).

Because jellyfish are so fragile, such cooling and filtration systemsare typically maintained separately from the aquarium tank itself andsome piping and appropriate systems must be included to remove waterfrom the aquarium, clean and chill the water, and return it to theaquarium tank; e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,878.

SUMMARY

The invention is an aquarium that includes a plurality of exterior wallsthat define a tank, a cylindrical wall within the tank that defines acylindrical viewing area, a first upright interior wall adjacent thecylindrical wall that defines a water inlet chamber between thecylindrical wall and the one of said exterior walls, a spillover riserin the water inlet chamber, and a water inlet in communication with oneside of said spillover barrier.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention and themanner in which the same are accomplished will become clearer based onthe followed detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an aquarium according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the aquarium of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the aquarium of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an opposite side elevational view from FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the aquarium of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of an aquariumaccording to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is another partial perspective view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is another partial perspective view of the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a first embodiment of the aquarium. In this aspect,the aquarium includes a plurality of exterior walls that define a tank20. In operation, the tank 20 holds the water (usually salt water) thatsupports the jellyfish. The illustrated embodiment includes six exteriorwalls: a horizontally oriented top exterior wall 21, respectivevertically oriented side exterior walls 22 and 23, a horizontallyoriented bottom exterior wall 24, and transparent front and rear walls25 and 26. Thus, in exemplary embodiments the overall shape of the tank20 is a solid rectangle with front and rear walls having largerdimensions than the top, bottom and side walls 21, 22, 23, 24. In otherembodiments, the top exterior wall 21 can be eliminated and replaced (ifdesired) with a smaller cross brace between the front and rear walls 25,26.

FIG. 1 illustrates the aquarium in a normal use orientation. At leastthe front and rear walls 25, 26 are formed of a polymer with at leastthe front wall being substantially transparent. In exemplary embodimentsmost or all of the parts illustrated and described herein are likewiseformed of a polymer, and in some embodiments all of the structural partsare transparent. In general, any polymer that provides the structuralstrength necessary to hold the required amount of water, that ischemically inert with respect to both the seawater and the jellyfish (orother marine life), and that has the desired optical clarity will besuitable. Appropriate structural transparent polymers include, but arenot limited to, acrylics, polycarbonates, and polyesters.

In the illustrated embodiment, several rods 28 provide additionalsupport between the front and rear walls 25, 26. The illustratedembodiment includes four of the rods 28.

A cylindrical wall broadly designated at 27 is positioned within thetank 20 and spans the space between the front and rear walls 25, 26. Inthat manner, the cylindrical wall 27 defines a cylindrical viewing area30. In an alternative embodiment, only the circular portion of the frontwall 25 that is defined by the cylindrical wall 27 needs to betransparent in order to see the marine life (jellyfish) within theviewing area 30. In some embodiments both the front and rear walls 25,26 are transparent for viewing from either side. In other embodiments,the rear wall 26 is covered with a mirrored surface (typically a thinpolymer film) that enhances the perceived depth of the viewing area 30.If the rear wall 26 is transparent, the mirrored surface can bepositioned on the outside of the rear wall 26, and facing inwardly. Suchan arrangement provides the desired mirrored surface without placing themirror material inside the tank or in contact with salt (or fresh)water. If desired, the rear wall 26 can, of course, be opaque.

A first upright interior wall 31 is located adjacent the cylindricalwall and defines a water inlet chamber broadly designated at 32. In theillustrated embodiment, the wall 31 and a media screen 37 form anL-shape adjacent a vertically oriented spillover riser 33 in the waterinlet chamber 32. Water reaches the water inlet chamber 32 from thelower channel 38. If a chiller is used, water circulates from theaquarium 20 to the chiller through the water outlet 60 and then returnsthrough the water inlet 34, both of which are positioned in the bottomexterior wall 24 and in communication with the water inlet chamber 32.The water inlet and outlets 34, 60 can also be used to circulate wateroutside of the aquarium for any other desired or necessary reason.

In the illustrated embodiment, the water inlet chamber 32 includes aplurality of media screens. A first media screen 35 is positioned at thebottom of the water inlet chamber 32, a second media screen 36 ispositioned in upper portions of the water inlet chamber 32 and a thirdmedia screen 37 is positioned midway along the water inlet chamber 32adjacent the cylindrical wall 27 and the upright wall 31. In exemplaryembodiments, the screens are used to help position and maintainfiltration media in various positions. In particular, a biological mediacan be positioned in the portions of the water inlet chamber designatedat 40 and 41. A chemical media is positioned in the portion of the waterinlet chamber 32 that is labeled as 42.

As with the other interior components, the screens can be formed of anappropriate polymer. If formed of another material (e.g., a metal) thescreens used to be inert with respect to the other items (salt water,marine life, etc.) in the same manner as the other components. Dependingupon the nature of the filter media, one or more of the screens may beunnecessary. For example, fibrous materials will tend to stay in placewithout a screen more easily than will particles.

Most of the waste generated by the jellyfish will be in the form ofammonia which is produced by the breakdown of proteins and which istoxic to most animals. Ammonia. Thus, as used herein, the term“biological medium” (or “biomedia”) refers to any appropriate media uponwhich organisms will grow that help convert the ammonia into nitrites,nitrates, and then nitrogen gas. The overall process is generallyreferred to as “nitrification.”

The relevant nitrification organisms will tend to cultivate on gravel,or rocks, or other inert surfaces in the aquarium. In the presentinvention, any media that promote the growth of the desired organismswhile otherwise remaining inert to the aquarium water and harmless tothe jellyfish are appropriate. Appropriate media can include (but arenot limited to) rocks and gravel, small plastic or ceramic objects, orsmall pieces of minerals such as quartz.

As used herein “the term “chemical medium” tends to refer to filtermedia that do not necessarily encourage the growth of bacteria, butwhich have characteristics that otherwise help purify water that comesin contact with these materials. The most widely used chemical medium isactivated carbon which, as known to the skilled person, helps purify thewater by at least three processes: adsorption of particles onto thesurface of the carbon based on static forces; diffusion of gases (whichcan help convert toxic ozone into oxygen) and chemosorption in whichimpurities chemically bind to the carbon. Generally, a given amount ofactivated carbon has finite adsorption capabilities and thus should bereplenished on a periodic basis.

Alternative chemical media can include ion exchange resins which purifythe water by adding or removing specific ions. Such media are alsoreferred to as deionizing resins.

It will be nevertheless understood that in many cases, and even underthe best conditions of physical, chemical, and biological filtration,fresh water (including sea water) will still be required on a time totime basis. The advantage of the invention, however, is in minimizingthe need for such exchanges or other treatment.

Because water moves cyclically through all of the portions of theaquarium, the “starting point” is arbitrary. Thus in one sense (and fordescriptive purposes rather than limitation), water enters the tank 20at the water inlet 34 and flows through a lower channel 38 that isdefined between the bottom exterior wall 24 and a horizontal interiorwall 39. The water flows toward the media screen 35 and then into thewater inlet chamber 32. The water then travels upwardly over thebiological media 40 to the chemical media 42 and then downwardly throughthe second portion of biological media 41. The water then reaches thedeflectors 43 in the cylindrical wall 27. The deflectors 43 are movablyattached to the respective openings 44 that permit incoming water toreach the viewing area 30. The deflectors 43 help encourage waterflowing through the openings 44 to move in a gentle laminar manner thatenhances the growth and survival of the jellyfish.

In different embodiments, the cylindrical wall 27 can be either unitaryor formed of several separate wall portions. The illustrated embodimentincludes four portions respectively designated at 45, 46, 47 and 50.When constructed in this manner, the wall portions are both movable (toprovide an opening into which marine life can be placed into the viewingarea 30) and removable (typically for cleaning purposes). In thatregard, the wall portions 45, 46, 47, 50 are positioned betweenrespective circular grooves in the front and back walls 25, 26. Thesegrooves are congruent with the cylindrical wall 27 and thus notseparately illustrated in FIG. 1. Additional grooves, however, arepositioned in the front and back walls 25, 26 to permit movement. An arcgroove 51 is illustrated just above the wall portion 50 in upperleft-hand portions of the viewing area 30. Linear grooves (i.e., one infront wall 25 and a parallel one in rear wall 26) 52 extend from aposition adjacent the wall portion 46 to the top exterior wall 21.

In the illustrated embodiment, a baffle 48 (optionally removable) ispositioned adjacent the horizontal interior wall 39 and extends into thelower channel 38. When water enters through the water inlet 34, thebaffle 48 helps prevent backflow towards the water outlet 60.

In use, in order to open or close the viewing area for access, the wallportion 46 can be moved in a counter clockwise direction into the arcgroove 51. Additionally, when the wall portion 46 is in the groove 51,wall portion 47 can be raised and removed by sliding it counterclockwiseto the linear grooves 52 and then out of the tank 20. Wall portions 45and 50 can be removed in the same manner. It will be understood thatonce one or two of the wall portions are removed, the others can bemoved either clockwise or counterclockwise until they reach, and can beremoved through, the linear grooves 52.

In the drawings, the arc groove 51 and the wall portion 50 are shown asslightly separated. This is for illustration purposes. In actuality, thewall portion 50 is positioned directly over the arc groove 51.

The removal step is enhanced by some of the additional illustratedfeatures. In particular, the first interior wall 31 has a downwardlydepending leg portion 53. This downwardly depending portion 53encourages the deflectors 43 to fold inwardly (i.e. towards the wallportion 47) as they pass and reach the depending portion 53 in order tofacilitate their removal.

FIG. 1 also illustrates that in this embodiment the aquarium tank 20includes a second upright interior wall 54 which is adjacent to thecylindrical wall 27 and opposite (and as illustrated parallel to) thefirst upright wall 31. The second upright wall 54 defines an air inletchamber 55 between the cylindrical wall 27 and a different exteriorwall, in particular the left side exterior wall 22 in the illustratedembodiment. A second spillover riser 57 is vertically oriented in theair inlet chamber 55.

An airstone holder 56 is positioned in lower portions of the air inletchamber 55. The airstone holder provides a position for an airstone (or“bubbler,” not shown) which can be supplied with air in any appropriatemanner, with a flexible plastic tube (not shown) is typical. Aquariumairstones and their related parts (air pumps, tubes, etc.) are wellunderstood in the art and will not be otherwise described in detailherein.

As the figures illustrate, a small space between the return riser 64 andthe airstone holder 56 permits water to flow into the air inlet chamber55.

In operation, air (typically typically from a compressor or small pump,not shown) is sent to the air inlet chamber 55 from an airstone in theholder 56. As air rises in the air inlet chamber 55, it encourages waterto flow in the same direction. When the water and air reach the top ofthe spillover riser 57, air can escape through the froth chamber broadlydesignated at 61. Meanwhile, the water reverses direction and travelsdownwardly along the side exterior wall 22 and from there to the wateroutlet 60 in the bottom exterior wall 24 of the tank 20. As the watertravels downwardly, any remaining air bubbles tend to separate and riseupwardly. As a result, the possibility of air bubbles reaching theviewing area is minimized or eliminated.

The overall water flow in the illustrated embodiment thus proceeds asfollows. Water enters through the inlet 34 in the bottom exterior wall24 and then moves into the water inlet chamber 32 which contains thebiological media 40. The water travels upwardly through the biologicalmedia 40 through the media screen 36 and then through the chemical media42 in the top portion of the water inlet chamber 32. The water thentravels downwardly through the second set of biological media 41 in thewater inlet chamber 32 through the media screen 37 and then to thoseportions of the tank 20 that are adjacent the deflectors 43 and theopenings 44. The water then flows into the viewing area 30 over thedeflectors 43 and through the openings 44.

The water exits the viewing area through the perforations or slots 63 inthe upper right-hand wall portion 46. The water then moves along the topof the tank 20 but outside of the viewing area 30 towards a return riser(or overflow bulkhead) 64 which includes a comb 65 in its upper portionswhich helps enhance surface skimming of debris and some organiccompositions from the moving water. The water then moves downwardlythrough the narrow space defined between the return riser 64 and thesecond upright interior wall 54 until the water reaches the bottomleft-hand portion of the tank 20 adjacent the airstone holder 56. Insome embodiments, the return riser 64 and the wall portion 45 can beformed of a single piece. Because of their respective positions, neitherneeds to be removed to provide access to the viewing area 30.

As set forth previously, air is pumped into the tank and provides themechanical force to move the water in the indicated manner. The watermoves upwardly through the air inlet chamber 55 to the top of thespillover riser 57. At this point, because the water has exited theviewing area, it is likely to carry various contaminants with it. Someof the contaminants will typically mix with the water and air (i.e.,cling to the surface of air bubbles) to create a froth that rises intothe froth chamber 61.

The froth chamber 61 is formed of a collection cup 66 (exterior) and aninterior froth tube 67. When froth moves upwardly from the air inletchamber 55 through the froth tube 67 it reaches a downwardly dependingdeflector 70 at the top of the froth chamber which encourages it to moveinto the collection cup 66 from which it can be manually removed. In theillustrated embodiment, the deflector 70 is in the form of a short, andthus relatively broad, tube.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of theinvention. A number of the elements are either identical ornearly-identical to those of the first embodiment and accordingly carrycommon reference numerals. These include the tank broadly designated at20, the cylindrical viewing area 30, the sidewalls 22 and 23, and thebottom wall 24. Other common elements include the cylindrical wall 27that defines the viewing area 30, the biomedia area 40, the chemicalmedia area 42, the air inlet holder 56, and the return riser 64. Thefroth chamber broadly designated at 61 is also essentially the same asthe one already described.

Some of the different aspects will be clearly understood with respect toFIGS. 7-10, and particularly when described in the context of thedirection of water flow in FIG. 7. First, when an air stone is placed inthe holder 56, bubbles pumped though such an airstone rise through atube 72 in the air inlet chamber broadly designated at 55. The top ofthe tube 72 now represents the outlet position for water leaving the airinlet chamber 55.

As in the previous embodiment, bubbles rising from an air stoneencourage water to flow with the bubbles, and out of the air inletchamber 55 to the space between the tube 72 and the interior wall 54,and then downwardly to the lower portions of the tank 20 outside of theviewing area 30. The tube 72 above the airstone in the holder 56 canhelp pull water somewhat more effectively than some other structures.Additionally, positioning the air inlet further above the bottom wall 24and more towards the mid level of the tank 20 creates extra space in thelower corner which in turn helps encourage a more effective airseparation.

As in the previous embodiment, the air inlet chamber 55 is defined bythe sidewall 22 and a vertical interior wall 54. Water flows downwardlybetween the tube 72 and the wall 54 toward the diagonally disposed plate73 and then past the outside of the cylindrical wall and then adjacentthe bottom wall 24. The water then flows through a media screen (notshown) at or near the bottom of the biomedia space 40 into thebiological medium in the space 40, and then into the chemical media 42.The chemical a biomedia spaces 40,42 are separated by the media screen36. The water then moves from the chemical media area 42 through anothermedia screen 74 into an upper portion of the tank 20 (i.e., illustratedas the upper right portion of FIG. 7).

In comparison to the water flow path of the first embodiment, the waterenters the viewing area 30 through a plurality of openings (not visiblein the perspective views) in an upper portion of the cylindrical wall 27that faces the general corner defined by the vertical media screen 74and the top of the tank 20.

From the viewing area 30, water flows through openings (e.g., 81 in FIG.10) to the return riser 64. The water passes through openings 80 (e.g.,FIG. 8) in the return riser 64 and then downwardly to the opening 58 inthe air inlet chamber 55 adjacent the air stone holder 56.

A pair of braces 76 helps support the front and rear walls 25 and 26(which are not visible in the cross-section of FIG. 1). FIG. 7 alsoshows a sliding door 77 that moves vertically to adjust the flow ofwater through the return riser 64, and thus helps control the overallflow rate in the tank 20, including the particular velocity of watermovement in the viewing area 30.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upper corner of the secondembodiment. FIG. 8 illustrates the front wall 25 (which is alwaystransparent) and the rear wall 26 which can be transparent, mirrored, oropaque. FIG. 8 illustrates that the return riser 64 includes a pluralityof slotted openings 80. Water that has left the circular viewing area 20returns over the riser 64 through these slots 80. The sliding door 77can be vertically adjusted to raise or lower the position at which waterflows through the slots.

FIG. 8 also illustrates that water leaves the cylindrical viewing area30 through the slots 81 in a portion of the cylindrical wall 27. Theslots 81 need to be sized for appropriate water flow, but withoutcreating suction or vortex flow that is strong enough to draw thejellyfish into the openings and hold there. FIG. 8 also illustrates aset of grooves (one is illustrated) 52 through which segments of thecylindrical wall can be removed in a manner previously described withrespect to the first embodiment. The portion of the cylindrical wall 27that holds the slots 81 typically extends to the top of the tank 20(e.g., FIG. 10), but for clarity, FIG. 8 illustrates only a portion ofthis.

FIG. 9 is another partial perspective view of the (as illustrated)right-hand portion of the tank 20. In particular, FIG. 9 illustrates afilling of support material 82 of the type previously described thatwill encourage the growth of a biological media which in turn filterswater passing through it. A corresponding chemical media can bepositioned in the space 42 that is separated from 40 by a media screen36. As FIG. 9 further illustrates, another media screen 74 with aplurality of slots holds the chemical media in place as water flows inthe direction indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 9 also shows a small opening 83 that allows any accumulatedmicrobubbles—that might otherwise form in the (as illustrated) lowerright-hand corner of the tank 20—to move into the biofiltration area 40.In particular, the cylindrical wall 27, the bottom wall 24, and theinterior wall 31 for the biomedia area 40 define a quasi-triangularshaped area into which microbubbles can gather into one or more largerbubbles which then move into the biological medium 82 from where theywill tend to rise to the top of the tank 20 without negatively affectingthe jellyfish in the viewing area 30.

FIG. 9 also helps illustrate that in this embodiment water returns tothe circular viewing area 30 through an upper portion of the circularwall 27 rather than a lower portion as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows some of the similar details as FIGS. 7 and 8 but inparticular illustrates that the slots 81 through which water travelsfrom the cylindrical viewing area 30 towards the return riser 64 extendalong a significant portion of the cylindrical wall 27, and then extendfurther along a common piece all the way to the top of the aquarium tank22; i.e., a position adjacent the top of the front and rear walls 25,26.

FIG. 10 also illustrates the presence of an optional brace 68 betweenthe front and rear vertical walls, 25, 26. One or more of such bracescan be added between the walls as may be desired or necessary.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms have beenemployed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined inthe claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An aquarium comprising: a plurality ofexterior walls that define a tank; a cylindrical wall within said tankthat defines a cylindrical viewing area; a first upright interior walladjacent said cylindrical wall that defines a water inlet chamberbetween said cylindrical wall and the one of said exterior walls; aspillover riser in said water inlet chamber; a biological filtrationmedia in said inlet chamber; a chemical filtration media in said inletchamber; a media screen in said inlet chamber that separates said inletchamber into a portion of biological filtration media and a portion ofchemical filtration media; and a water inlet in communication with oneside of said spillover barrier.
 2. An aquarium according to claim 1wherein said water inlet is positioned in lower portions of said waterinlet chamber.
 3. An aquarium according to claim 1 and furthercomprising: a second upright interior wall adjacent said cylindricalwall and opposite said first upright wall that defines an air inletchamber between said cylindrical wall and a different exterior wall; anair inlet positioned in lower portions of said air inlet chamber; aspillover riser in said air inlet chamber; and a water outlet incommunication with said air inlet chamber on the opposite side of saidair inlet spillover riser from said air inlet.
 4. An aquarium accordingto claim 3 further comprising an overflow barrier between saidcylindrical wall and said first upright interior wall.
 5. An aquariumaccording to claim 3 wherein said water outlet is positioned in lowerportions of said air intake chamber.
 6. An aquarium according to claim 3further comprising a foam collection cup that rests at the top of saidair inlet chamber.
 7. An aquarium according to claim 1 wherein portionsof said cylindrical wall are perforated to permit water to flow betweensaid cylindrical viewing area and the remainder of said tank.
 8. Anaquarium according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said exteriorwalls is formed of a transparent polymer.
 9. An aquarium according toclaim 8 wherein all of said walls are formed of a transparent polymer.10. An aquarium according to claim 1 wherein said air inlet chamberincludes a vertical tube.